Labour exploitation

Severe forms of labour exploitation: allowing victims of severe forms of labour exploitation to have access to justice in EU Member State – Scoial Fieldwork Research for Ireland (FRANET)

Severe forms of labour exploitation: allowing victims of severe forms of labour exploitation to have access to justice in EU Member State – Scoial Fieldwork Research for Belgium (FRANET)

Client: FRA

This was a social fieldwork project carried out under the FRANET data collection contract for Belgium and Ireland, as part of a wider FRA study on severe forms of labour exploitation in EU Member States.

The project looked into criminal forms of exploitation of the work of migrants. Here, the term migrants refers to any person who has moved to a country from abroad, with the underlying assumption that the foreignness and alienation may be linked to labour exploitation.

More precisely, the project focused on access to justice for migrants who have become victims of labour exploitation as well as analysis of risk factors contributing to the labour exploitation and preventative measures to counter these risks. The project also pinpointed types and frequencies of labour exploitation and the institutional settings in place to tackle it.

The project aimed to further explore the situation in Belgium through social fieldwork research, with representatives from professions such as labour inspectors, health and safety officers and recruitment and employment officers.

The field work research included semi-structured interviews with experts from various professional groups (including government officials, victim support services; police; national coordinators/monitoring bodies); focus group discussion and case studies. A final report summing up the results of the fieldwork was also prepared.